In Ethiopia, Swedish journalists handed prison terms

New
York, December 27, 2011--In a highly politicized trial, two Swedish journalists have
been sentenced in an Ethiopian court to 11-year jail terms after being
convicted of supporting terrorism and entering the country illegally, according
to news reports.

Judge
Shemsu Sirgaga ruled today that Swedish journalists Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye should serve "rigorous
imprisonment," and said the verdict "should satisfy the goal of peace and
security," Agence France-Presse reported. Last week, the
journalists were convicted of illegally
entering the eastern Somali-speaking Ogaden region, where government forces are
battling separatists with the Ogaden National Liberation Front, according to news
reports. The Ethiopian government classified the ONLF as a
terrorist organization early this year and has restricted journalists from
independently accessing the region.

Prosecutors had asked the judge for
a jail term of 18 and a half years for Persson and Schibbye, who were tried
under the country's far-reaching anti-terrorism law, news reports said.
Human rights groups have said the law, which has been criticized
by human rights monitors in the United Nations, is being used by Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi to crack down on dissent.

CPJ research found that fundamental principles of
due process were violated during the journalists' trial, including the
presumption of innocence, which is enshrined in Article 14 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Ethiopia is a signatory. In
addition, numerous accusatory public
statements by state media and top
government officials, including Zenawi, appeared to predetermine
the outcome of the trial.

"The harsh sentences against Johan
Persson and Martin Schibbye are an affront to justice and press freedom," said
CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. "With this politicized case, authorities
showed they are intent on quashing coverage of important events in the Ogaden
region. The Ethiopian government should unconditionally release Persson and
Schibbye, and allow independent access to the Ogaden region."

Ethiopian
officials have denied using the trial as politically motivated reprisal. "How can there be a political motive when
prosecutors provided evidence throughout the trial and the defendants
themselves admitted to entering the country illegally with rebels?" Justice
Ministry Spokesman Desalegn Deressa told Reuters. Ethiopian government spokesman Bereket Simon accused international human rights groups of being
"interested only in regime change," he told AFP. "We feel these people do not understand the concept
of rule of law," Simon said.

The
journalists' defense lawyers have not yet said whether they will appeal the
sentences, news reports said.

In
a statement today, European
Union High Representative Spokesperson Catherine Ashton expressed "serious
concern" about the judgment and the verdict, and said that "the sentencing on
terrorism-related charges raises concerns about the freedom of media and
expression in Ethiopia."